


Zimbits Taxi AU

by writingonpostcards



Series: Tumblr Ficlets - Check, Please! [4]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, M/M, Meet-Cute, Taxi AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-29 19:20:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12637521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingonpostcards/pseuds/writingonpostcards
Summary: NHL star Jack Zimmermann jumps into a taxi to escape crazy fans. One problem... Eric’s already using the taxi.





	Zimbits Taxi AU

**Author's Note:**

> me to me: hey, where’s the au where Jack jumps into a taxi to escape crazy fans and Bitty’s already using the taxi
> 
> me to me: georgia, you write stuff. you can just… write that
> 
> me to me: hey, good point

The door opens and shuts again quickly, which is strange enough as the taxi is sitting in the middle lane at a light that’s just turned green. What is more strange though, is a man throws himself into the car at the same time.

Bitty would ask ‘what the hell’, but he’s currently cradling his nose in his hands, having suffered an elbow to the face as the stranger slid across the car seat without looking.

“Crisse. Fuck. Shit. I am so sorry.” 

The man turns to him. Bitty’s eyes are watering and he blinks to try and clear them. He’s fairly certain the man in the taxi with him is Jack Zimmermann.

The taxi driver has either not noticed what has happened, or is used to strange occurrences in their taxi, and is still driving Bitty on toward his apartment.

“Are you alright?” The man who Bitty is now convinced is Jack Zimmermann-he’s got a line of stitches on his jaw from a rough check in a game Bitty watched two nights ago–asks worriedly, hands dancing around Bitty’s face like he wants to make sure but is afraid to touch.

Bitty pulls his hands away and looks down. No blood. He presses his fingertips gently to his nose. It’s tender, but not horribly so.

“I’m good.”

Jack sighs and slumps back into the seat. “Thank god.”

He shuts his eyes and leans his head against the backrest. Bitty watches him, speechless. What are you meant to say when one of your favourite athletes ambushes your taxi? There is no precedent for that.

Eventually, Jack opens his eyes and turns to Bitty. “I really am sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I got in here.”

“Jumped,” Bitty corrects.

“Pardon?”

“Oh, it’s just. It’s more like you jumped in here, you know.”

Jack rubs at the back of his neck as his eyes drop to Bitty’s nose. “Yeah, guess so.”

Bitty nods slowly at him, and waits for further explanation, which doesn’t seem forthcoming. It’s not exactly surprising, judging from what little Bitty knows of Jack’s character from post-game interviews and Falconers Face-offs. He’s never been as verbal as some of his teammates. Still, you would think this situation would warrant an explanation.

“Why did you?” Bitty eventually asks, too curious to leave it alone.

Jack’s eyes dart out the window, then land back on Bitty. “It’s, uh, a little embarrassing, truthfully.”

“Try me.”

“Alright. I was–No, I should start with,” Jack mumbles to himself, then clears his throat. “I play hockey, and I’m, well, I’m… _known_.”

Bitty finds it almost endearing how uncomfortable Jack looks saying it. 

Bitty nods. “I knew that part.” 

Jack raises his eyebrows. “Really? But you haven’t–I mean, you’re not reacting…” He stops himself with a huff. “I really don’t know a good way to say it.”

“Star-struck?” Bitty suggests.

“Eh,” Jack shrugs.

“I played in college,” Bitty tells him. “Lived in a frat house with hockey players for years. You’ve lost all aura of mystery and un-touchability to me, I’m afraid.”

Jack looks him over, and Bitty can guess what thoughts are going through his head. Thankfully, he refrains from saying anything. Bitty might have thrown him out the taxi if he did.

“I don’t mind. It’s… a nice change, truthfully.” Jack even smiles at Bitty as he says it. It’s small, sure, but it’s also an expression Bitty has never ever seen on his face. It feels nice to be shown something of who Jack really is. Bitty looks out the window before he starts reading into it and spins this random encounter into a fantasy. He’s surprised to see he’s only a few blocks from home. It’s felt like no time at all.

“I was running away from some of the, uh, ‘other’ kind of fans,” Jack tells Bitty.

Bitty swings his head back around. “Who says I’m a fan?” he teases with mock-offense.

“Oh.” Jack looks abashed. “I just assumed, because you knew who I was. That’s terrible.”

Bitty laughs. “No, you’re right. You’re a great player.”

Jack seems to wait a second to see if Bitty will go back on his word. When he doesn’t, Jack gives that same small smile again, and dips his head down and away. Every second he spends in Jack’s presence, Bitty feels like he’s learning more about him.

“I’m almost done with the taxi,” Bitty tells Jack as the driver pulls around the corner onto his street.

“Oh,” Jack says, looking at Bitty. If he didn’t know any better, Bitty would call the expression on his face disappointment. 

“It’s been nice talking with you, Jack.”

“Yeah. You too, ah…”

“Eric.”

Jack holds out his hand, and Bitty takes it. Jack’s hand feels big around his own, and surprisingly cold. Bitty can’t help but try and memorise as much of the feel of it as he can. He drops Jack’s hand quickly when he catches on to what he’s doing though. He doesn’t want to seem creepy, or like those ‘other fans’ Jack mentioned earlier.

The driver pulls up to the curb where Bitty directs him. Bitty reaches into his pocket for his wallet, but is stopped as Jack grabs onto his wrist.

Bitty tilts his head at Jack.

“Let me pay,” Jack says. “It’s only fair.”

“It’s really alright,” Bitty refutes automatically, distracted by the feeling of Jack’s fingers on his arm.

“Please. I want to. You didn’t have to let me stay in here with you.”

Bitty opens his mouth to decline again, but Jack adds on, “Plus, you know I’m good for it.”

Bitty stares at Jack for a moment before nodding his head.

He gets out and shuts the door behind him. The taxi idles on the curb as he searches for the keys to get into the building. He feels eyes on him and turns around to see Jack watching him through the window. He gestures to Jack to drive on, but Jack shakes his head.

Bitty turns back to the door and bites his lip, feeling flustered at the consideration Jack’s showing him. His hand shakes a little as he tries to fit the key in the lock, but he manages to get the door open, and turns to wave goodbye to Jack before closing the door behind him.

He walks up the stairs to his apartment in a daze, thinking that tonight is a memory he’s going to carry with him forever. The night he shared a taxi with Jack Zimmermann.

Inside his apartment, Bitty holds his hand in front of his face. He curls his fingers down to his palm, closing his eyes and remembering what it felt having Jack’s hand in his. 

He sighs out as he opens his eyes. He’s not going to spin a crazy future for him and Jack out of this one interaction. At least, not after tonight he won’t.

-

_Bzzzt. Bzzzt._

Bitty rolls over in bed and half opens an eye to look at the clock. 

08:00 the clock face tell hims.

He groans and rolls over again. He always sleeps in on Saturdays (like he would every day of the week if he could) and he was so certain he’d disabled his alarm last night.

_Bzzzt. Bzzzt._

He must have forgotten. Granted, he’d been pretty preoccupied with thoughts of Jack Zimmermann. 

Bitty grabs his phone and goes to swipe the alarm off. Except the alarm isn’t on.

_Bzzzt. Bzzzt._

Bitty realises it’s the intercom. Someone’s calling him from downstairs.

“What on earth,” he mumbles to himself, stumbling out of bed not fully awake and following the buzzing into the hallway.

Bitty presses the talk button. “Hello?”

“Uh, hi. Eric,” a man says, clumsy like they aren’t used to using an intercom.

Bitty frowns. Not many people who call him ‘Eric’ over ‘Bitty’ would be dropping by unannounced early on a Saturday. They’re all work colleagues.

“Sorry, who is this?” Bitty asks.

“Oh. Crisse. Shit. Sorry.” Something clicks in Bitty’s mind then, and his heart does a funny skip.

“Jack Zimmermann?” he asks.

“Yeah. Sorry. I just realised how ridiculous what I’m doing is.”

“Not sure it’s any more ridiculous than what you already did last night,” Bitty quips before Jack can leave.

Jack laughs. “That’s true.”

“So why’re you here then?”

“Can I–Sorry, I know this is incredibly rude–Could I come up?”

“Why?” As much as Bitty’s entire body immediately screams ‘yes’ at him, it’s one thing to share a taxi with Jack in semi-public, and another thing entirely to invite him into his home.

“I wanted to… ask you something.”

Bitty’s brain is already seven ideas deep into what that something could be.

“I’d prefer to do it face to face. If I can,” Jack adds politely.

Bitty takes his finger off the button to give himself a quite moment to think. He only takes one moment before he’s buzzing Jack through with his apartment number. He knows he’d be kicking himself for years if he said no.

Bitty is stuck cramming nervousness about his state of dress and the messiness of his apartment far away inside him so he can greet Jack with a somewhat controlled expression. He wishes he were on the upper level so he’d have time to change out of his sleep clothes, but he’s only one floor up, so Jack must almost–

_Knock. Knock._

Yep. Bitty swallows, flattens his hair, realises he has pillow marks on his cheek when he catches sight of himself in the hallway mirror. He sighs but there’s nothing for it now. It’d be plain bad manners to make Jack wait any longer.

He takes a breath to steel himself, puts a smile on his face (which he double-checks in the mirror) then opens the door.

Jack looks so much better in full light, and Bitty is relived to see that he’s wearing trackpants and hideous running shoes. It makes him feel better about his own attire.

“Hi,” Bitty says, and then, “Come in,” because may as well get it over with and then he can stop worrying about what Jack will think of his apartment and it’s mix-and-match interior design.

“Thank you, Eric.”

Bitty doesn’t think to move so Jack ends up brushing against him as he makes his way into the space.

“Do you want something to drink?” Bitty offers after shutting the door, and telling his heart to calm down.

“No thank you. I can’t stay long.” Bitty hadn’t expected Jack to accept so the refusal doesn’t bother him. He had expected Jack would be looking around though, and he’s not doing that. Instead, his gaze is fixed firmly on Bitty’s face. He’s got his hands clasped behind his back, which makes the situation seem oddly formal, despite Jack’s cap and the length of Bitty’s sleep shorts.

“I’ve got a session with the trainer I’m probably going to be late to.”

“Oh. Why?” Bitty asks with worry.

Jack dips his head and then admits to the ground, “I’ve been standing out front for… a while. Had to build up the nerve to ring.”

“Oh,” Bitty says, feeling a warmth spread out over his skin. “Why?” he asks again, knowing the kind of answer he wants to hear, but aware it’s a one in a million possibility.

“I… well like I said, I wanted to ask you something,” Jack says looking to Bitty.

“Go ahead,” Bitty prompts after Jack falls silent.

“I’m trying,” Jack says. “It’s…”

He pauses again and reaches up to take his cap off, looking down at it as he turns it in his hands. Bitty can recognise a nervous tick when he sees one.

“Are you sure you don’t want a drink?” Bitty offers. “Glass of water?”

Jack shakes his head, then laughs. “This is _much_ harder than I thought it would be,” he says emphatically to his hat.

“What is?”

Jack spins the hat once more, then grips it tightly and lifts his eyes back up to Bitty. “I’m trying to, to ask you out.”

Bitty’s heart flips and his hand comes up to press against his chest over it, feeling the crazy speed at which it’s pounding.

“Oh,” Bitty croaks out.

“Yeah.” Jack’s still looking at him. “If I did, would that… I mean… Would you say yes?”

Bitty swallows, then nods. 

“Okay.” Jack smiles at Bitty and takes a step forward. “Eric, would–”

“Bittle,” Bitty’s mouth interrupts rudely and without his brain’s consent.

Jack blinks. “Bittle?”

“Oh lord, I’m sorry. Eric Bittle,” Bitty says pointing at himself as he begins to babble and simultaneously make a mental note to berate himself for it later. “It’s my name. I thought you should know it before–Sorry. Never mind. Go on.”

Jack looks a little shell-shocked. He hopes he hasn’t put Jack off.

“Please?” Bitty whispers.

“Eric Bittle,” Jack begins again, and Bitty is thankful to see a hint of a amusement on his face. “Would you like to go out with me some time? On a date?”

Bitty smiles. “I would love to.”

Jack’s half-smile turns into a full-blown grin and suddenly he’s more breathtaking than Bitty knew he could be. As soon as Jack’s out the door, Bitty is going to be pinching himself to make sure this whole morning was real.

“Then can I get your number?” Jack asks, pulling out his phone. “Shit,” he says, looking at the screen. “Then I’ve really got to go. I’ve got six messages from the trainer already.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Bitty tells Jack.

Jack shakes his head, smiling at Bitty once more. “Don’t be. It’s worth it.”

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted to [tumblr](http://17piesinseptember.tumblr.com/post/164042239973/me-to-me-hey-wheres-the-au-where-jack-jumps)


End file.
